Questioning the Author
Literacy Strategy #32
Developers
"Students assume that if they don't understand something they're reading, it's because they're not smart or don't read well enough"
Purpose:
The purpose of the Questioning the Author strategy is to encourage students to think beyond words on the page and to consider the author's intent of the writing and how successfully they communicated the message of the passage. This strategy is also useful for developing higher level thinking.
COMPREHENSION!!!!
K-12
Goal:
6 Discussion Moves to Direct Discussion:
- Marking. Teachers draw attention to particular ideas students have expressed.
- Turning-back. Teachers return responsibility for exploring the text to students and students' attention back to the text.
- Revoicing. Teachers interpret and rephrase students' ideas that they're struggling to express.
- Recapping. Teachers summarize the big ideas in order to move ahead in the text.
- Modeling. Teachers share their thinking as they talk about a point students may have missed.
- Annotating. Teachers provide information during a discussion.
How to use Questioning the Author:
- What's the author trying to tell us?
- Why did the author say ______?
4. Ask queries. The teacher presents a query/question to begin the discussion. Students respond to the question by stating what they think, including an excerpt from the text, questioning ideas, clarifying confusions, and talking together to deepen their understanding. Teachers direct the discussion using marking, revoicing, modeling, and other discussion moves. They ask additional questions as well to further the discussion. The questions might look like:
- Do you agree with what ____ said?
- How does this information connect with what you already know?
5. Continue reading and asking queries. Teachers can repeat steps 3 and 4 as students read and discuss each segment.
6. Discuss the text. After the reading is finished, teachers lead a discussion based on the responses that the students gave to the queries to wrap up the reading experience. Teachers raise accuracy and viewpoint, invited students to make personal, world, and textual connections, and ask students to compare the text they just read to other books on the same topic or by the same author.
When to use this instructional strategy:
You can use this strategy:
- During instruction
- As a whole class
- In small groups
- Individually
narrative and expository texts
Content Area Classrooms
Learning
- Students learn through discussion and collaborating with other students.
- Student learn the message the author is trying to get across.